1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a matting agent coating device and an inkjet recording device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, inkjet printers have had the problem that printed matter, for which processing is completed, are damaged due to a phenomenon known as blocking in which inks on stacked printed matter adhere (bond) to one another due to insufficient drying and insufficient fixing of the image portions. In high-mass-production inkjet printers in particular, because there is the tendency for the drying and fixing time to be short, it is easy for insufficient drying and insufficient fixing to occur, and further, it is easy for blocking to arise when carrying out printing on thick paper.
Such blocking may arise, in addition to inkjet printers, in offset printers as well for example. In offset printers, blocking is prevented by spraying, onto the sheet surfaces, a powder for preventing adhesion between sheets.
However, with a powder spraying method, the problem arises that the printer interior is dirtied due to diffusion of excess powder, and, when carrying out double-sided printing, due to powder that has been supplied to printed matter dropping-off at the time of printing the reverse surface. In particular, in an inkjet printer of a type that carries out printing by coating a pre-processing liquid onto the sheets, the powder spraying method may become problematic with respect to the points that the powder may become mixed into the pre-processing liquid coating section, or poor ejection may be caused due to the powder adhering to the inkjet heads.
Thus, an image recording device has been disclosed in which an air curtain is provided within a printer, powder is prevented from being diffused within the printer and to the device exterior, and trouble due to a reduction in the number of times cleaning is carried out, or wear of mechanical parts caused by powder, or the like, is suppressed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application National Publication No. 2002-500974).
Or, there is a method in which a matting agent is affixed at predetermined intervals onto a sheet by an affixing roller having concave portions at the surface thereof, and diffusion of the matting agent within the printer is prevented, and the matting agent is prevented from dropping-off due to the matting agent being dispersed within a solvent that is adhesive. Further, there is a method in which a matting agent is prevented from dropping-off due to the matting agent being dispersed in a solvent that is not adhesive, and, after coating onto the printed matter, heating is carried out, and the solvent is thereby evaporated and the matting agent is fused and fixed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 8-224978).
However, although aforementioned Japanese Patent Application National Publication No. 2002-500974 discloses a measure for preventing diffusion of excess powder by an air curtain, there is the problem that dirtying of the printer by the powder that drops-off from printed matter cannot be overcome.
Further, if the structure disclosed in JP-A No. 8-224978 is applied to an inkjet printer in which it is easy for insufficient drying of a dispersion liquid, in which a matting agent is dispersed, and insufficient fixing to occur, there is the problem that there is the concern that blocking will occur more easily.
Thus, a method is desired that coats a matting agent that is a powder onto the surface of printed matter without using a dispersion liquid, and applies the matting agent to the printed matter without the matting agent falling-off from the surface.